I Will Always Be With You
by Dawn98
Summary: Squad 10 has a new 3rd seat that has all the Soul Reaper's talking. However, Momo Hinamori has just found about him. Once she finds out who he is, she may be in for a surprise. A story on how Toshiro Hitsugaya and Momo Hinamori reunited. No pairing.
1. Chapter 1

**A few things before you read this story!**

 **Number 1: I don't own any of the characters at all. I wish I did but I don't.**

 **Number 2: I watched the English version of the anime so this story is set up more like that.**

 **Number 3: I tried to get the characters personalities as close as I could. If they are not exact than I am is also no romance between the characters. They are just friends that care about each other.**

 **Number 4: This story is going to have 3 chapters to it.**

 **I hope everyone enjoys this story! I worked really hard on it! :)**

"If ever there is a tomorrow when we're not together, there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is even if we are apart, I'll always be with you."(Winnie the Pooh)

"Hey did you hear about the new 3rd seat of squad 10?"

"Yeah! I saw him yesterday, walking with the Captain Shiba and Lieutenant Matsumoto. He looks like a little kid. His Zanpakutō looks taller than he is."

"You wonder how he doesn't fall over from the weight of it. He carries it on his back."

"Well he would have to because it would drag on the ground if he had it on his waste."

7th seat Momo Hinamori of squad 5 stopped walking when she heard the two soul reapers conversation. _Squad 10 has a new 3_ _rd_ _seat?_ She thought. At the time, Momo did not understand that at that moment, she suddenly remembered her white-haired childhood friend. It had been so long since she last thought of him, let alone saw him. Later she would realize why but that moment she could not help but wonder how he and his granny were doing. Suddenly, many questions sprung into her mind. How was he? Had he grown since the last time she saw him? And more importantly, did he miss her? Momo figured that he would be angry with her. After all, she had not been to visit him since he joined the academy. She could not help it though, the higher the seat she was, the more she had to do and right now, she was seat number 7. She knew that he would understand. Probably.

7th seats Renji Abarai and Izuru Kira of squad 4 and 11, who were walking with her, noticed that she had stopped walking.

"What going on, Momo?" Asked Izuru. She turned her attention away from the conversation and her thoughts to Izuru and Renji.

"Did you know that squad 10 had a new 3rd seat?" She asked her friends. Both Renji and Izuru looked at each other and then looked back at her.

"Yeah, we knew. It's kind of old news now," Said Izuru.

"Well it's no wonder that you haven't heard anything about it. After all, you do spend most of your time kissing Captain Aizen's ass," Renji commented as he put his hands in his pockets.

Momo put her hands on her hips "I do not! I just admire him for being a great captain! There is no shame in that. Now if you don't mind, tell me what happened?"

Renji sighed before answering her "Apparently he is like a genius or something. I heard that Lieutenant Matsumoto found him and convinced him enroll into Shin'ō Academy."

Momo looked confused "What makes him a genius?"

This time it was Izuru answered her "He graduated from the Academy after only being there for a year and after graduating, he quickly overcame the previous 3rd seat. Rumor has it that the spirit of his Zanpakutō revealed itself to him long before he entered the Academy and that he was able to use Shiki soon afterwards."

"Wow" Momo was shocked. She couldn't believe there was someone that amazing around and she had no idea about it.

"The Captains are saying a genius like him is hard to come by. They are excepting a lot from him," Said Renji.

 _I want to meet him_ thought Momo. She wanted to see for her own eyes just how great this person was. Momo started to wonder what he could be like. He must be strong and handsome and has a bunch of spiritual power. Probably just like Captain Aizen.

"I want to meet him!" Momo told her friends.

"Well he is probably going to be at the court yard with the other top officials. All the squads' 3rd seats and above are going to be discussing something about the hollow attacks that have been going on recently in the Land of the Living," Izuru told them.

Momo was excited "Really? Let's go!" she said before taking off to the courtyard to see the mysterious new addition to squad 10.

"Wait for us Momo!" Renji and Izuru yelled as they tried to keep up with her.

When Momo, Renji, and Izuru arrived at the courtyard, they quickly went behind one of the many pillars so that no one could see them and hid their spiritual pressure. They peeked around the pillar and looked toward where Squad 10 was standing. "Damn! I can't see him. Captain Shiba is blocking him. Why does he have to be so freaking short?" Renji said in frustration.

"Yeah this sucks! What are we going to do? Oh hey there is Captain Aizen!" Momo said, pointing to where the captain of squad 5 stood.

"Focus Momo" Izuru said "We are here to see squad 10 not squad 5."

"You're right. Oh Head Captain Yamamoto is about to say something."

All three of them shut their mouths and listened what the Commander and Captain of Squad 1 had to say. "Before we get to talking about the Hallows in the World of the Living, I would like to introduce the new addition to squad 10 top members. I am sure you all have heard about him in some fashion or another. He is very strong and I have no doubt that he will become a great contribution to the Soul Society. Please introduce yourself!"

A short white haired boy wearing a traditional Shinigami attire with a long sword attached to his back took a step forward. Momo gasped. She couldn't believe her eyes. It had to be someone else because it couldn't be him. The white hair boy spoke "My name is Tōshirō Hitsugaya. Please take care of me."

Momo couldn't believe this. Her childhood friend was a Soul Reaper and a top ranking one at that. Though it had been many years since she last spoke with him, she didn't think that he even wanted to become a Soul Reaper because of his grandmother. "Wow it seems like the rumors were true. He is just a kid," Izuru stated, interrupting Momo thoughts.

"We better get out of here. It seems like we have been spotted," As soon as Renji spoke those words all of the Captains were looking straight at them, even Tōshirō. The three of them quickly ran off before they were questioned. However, they knew that they respective captains would be questioning them later. It was amazing that Tōshirō was able to sense their presence. All three of the were pretty good at hiding their spiritual pressure and it seems that only the captains seemed to notice their presence.

Momo didn't look back though she could tell that Tōshirō was still watching her. _Shirō what happened to you and how did you become so strong_?

 _That was Momo._ The newly promoted 3rd seat Tōshirō Hitsugaya of squad 10 was leaving the courtyard after the meeting. _I guess she heard about me becoming a soul reaper. I bet that surprised her._ After all, he never showed any interest in becoming a soul reaper when they last met. It hadn't even been that long since he became a soul reaper and he was already a top official, only one seat below the lieutenant, which was currently held by Rangiku. Even before he met Rangiku, he could already hear Hyōrinmaru, though he didn't know beforehand that was Hyōrinmaru until Rangiku pointed it out. After he went to the academy, it wasn't long that he was able to hear his name. He recalled the warm feeling he felt when he finally heard his name despite that his element was ice.

 _Tōshirō Hitsugaya had been in the academy for two months now. In the short time that he had been there, he was already able to control his reiatsu. He was getting closer and closer to be able to hear his Zanpakutō name. His dreams continued as they always did._ Soon _he thought as he looked down at his_ _Zanpakutō,_ soon I will be able to hear your name, and we will never be alone again because we will have each other.

 _That night, when he was sleeping in his room, he had the same dream. He was standing in field. The grass was frozen and the wind was cold. He looked around and saw in the distance the gigantic, icy blue, serpentine dragon with large wings looking at him. He ran as fast as could to it. He was not afraid of the dragon now knowing that it was the spirit of his Zanpakutō. When he reached it, he held out his hand. It stayed that way for several minutes, his hand held out, and neither of them speaking. It was_ _Tōshirō who broke the silence. "Please tell me your name."_

 _"_ _Are you finally ready to hear my name? Are you strong enough to be my Master?" the echoing voice of the ice dragon asked. "I have tried many times to tell you my name."_

 _"_ _I know and I wasn't ready, forgive me. But now, I am strong enough. So please tell me your name." He was ready. He knew it. He had been training for this moment since he entered the academy._

 _The dragon stared at him for a moment before speaking "My name is…_ _Hyōrinmaru."_

 _Tōshirō woke up in a cold sweat. The room was freezing. It was a good thing that he didn't have any roommates. Though the room was cold, he had a since of warmth. He got up and went to his Zanpakutō where it was stationed and saw that the sword had changed. The sword was longer and the guard was in the shape of a four-pointed bronze-colored star. The hilt is light blue, and sheath, that was normally the regular black had change to a dark blue._ Hyōrinmaru _he thought as he took hold of his sword,_ I finally heard your name. Now we can become stronger together. _Needless to say, he didn't get much sleep after that._

 _A couple of weeks passed and the day came where they were learning about their Zanpakutō. They were able to bring their Zanpakutō to class that day, only Tōshirō had his covered as he knew everyone would make a big deal about the fact his sword had changed. He could no longer have his Zanpakutō around his waist where it was longer so he now had to carry it on his back. "As you all know this is a Zanpakutō," The teacher spoke. He laid a Zanpakutō on the desk so that everyone could see. "This is what we use to defeat the Hallows. It is our main tool when it comes to fighting the Hallows. As you all know, when you enter the academy, you each received a standard Zanpakutō like this one. This is also known as a training Zanpakutō or Asauchi. Now each Zanpakutō has a spirit that is connected to your soul. When you are ready, the spirit of your Zanpakutō will appear to you and tells you its name. Though it will take many years to learn its name."_

 _"_ _What happens when we know its name?" A student asked._

 _"_ _When that happens, your Zanpakutō will change shape and sometimes the size. Your Zanpakutō will obtain special abilities that are based on your soul. It is up to you for your Zanpakutō to become stronger. The stronger you are the stronger your Zanpakutō will become. You are born with your Zanpakutō and you will die with your Zanpakutō. It cannot be changed. Now any questions?"_

 _Tōshirō raised his hand "What if you already know the name of your Zanpakutō?"_

 _The teacher looked shocked "That's impossible. You couldn't have learned your Zanpakutō's name already. You are just a first year student. Come show it to me."_

 _Tōshirō got up from his seat and walk down to where the teacher was standing. As he walked down the steps, he could feel the stares of his fellow students boring into his back. When he reached to where the teacher was standing, he demanded "Show it to me."_

 _Tōshirō obeyed and handed him his Zanpakutō. The teacher took it and removed the cover on the sword. The teacher couldn't believe it. The Zanpakutō had changed. It was no longer a regular Zanpakutō. He couldn't believe that a student who had only been at the academy for two months already had an advance Zanpakutō. Just who is this kid?_

Tōshirō smiled at the memory of his face when he learned that his sword had changed. Many events happened after that. He met the headmaster who told him that he was a genius and he met Captain Shiba who asked him to join his squad as soon as he graduated from the academy. He likes Captain Shiba though he seemed very childish at times. In fact, it seemed like he was the one in charge than both the captain and the lieutenant. Well it didn't matter how his superiors acted. He knew how strong they were. They would be a great help in achieving his goal. His goal is to be a strongest captain of the Gotei 13.

The next couple of days passed with little to no problems. He was able to complete his jobs quickly and correctly. He even had a few sparing matches with some of his fellow squad members, which he won, in what little free time he had. After working the past couple of days, the captain gave him a day off to rest. However, Tōshirō wasn't going to rest. He had too much training to do. So Tōshirō decided to head for the forest and train. What his captain doesn't know, won't hurt him.

When he got close to the exit from Squad 10's domain, he felt three different spiritual pressures. One of which was Momo and the other two was her friends that she was with the other day. _I wonder what they want._

He could hear them talking as soon as he got close to them. They didn't seem to have notice him or his spiritual pressure. They were going to have to work on that if they wanted to be a higher rank. He leaned against the wall and listened to their conversation. It sounded like they were have an argument. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all," that was Momo.

"God Momo, we have been through this already. We came all this way for this. Stop being a coward!" a rough male voice growled.

"Yes Momo, it doesn't hurt to just talk to him. He is your childhood friend," the other male whose tone was a lot friendlier spoke.

"But it has been years since we last seen each other! He could have change. What if he is mean? People who considered to be a genius can let it go to their heads. Or worse, he doesn't remember me at all? He hadn't had any interest in becoming a Soul Reaper and now he is a higher rank than me. I don't think that I can do this."

Tōshirō had enough of this and made himself known to the three soul reapers. "I couldn't forget that annoying voice even if I tried." The three soul reapers snap their gaze to where Tōshirō stood.

"Shirō!" gasped Momo, her eyes wide.

Tōshirō sighed and pushed off the wall "That is Hitsugaya to you. You should all work on sensing spiritual pressures. I was standing there the whole time."

"Yes Sir. Sorry Sir." The two males shouted. The two looked at each other before blond spoke "We will leave you two to talk," and they bowed to Tōshirō before running off, leaving the two alone in an awkward silence.

Neither one spoke. Momo was gathering her thoughts together and Tōshirō was letting her do so. After a few minutes passed, Momo said "That was Renji of squad 11, the red head, and Izuru of Squad 4, the blond. They are my friends from the academy."

"I see," said Tōshirō. "From their spiritual pressure, they have a lot of potential."

Momo nodded her head and bit her lip. There was the awkward silence again. After a while, Momo sighed "You sure have changed, Shirō."

"You didn't expect me to stay the same, did you?"

"You became a soul reaper, Shirō. You never wanted to be a one but here you are just out of the academy and already a third seat. You didn't even tell me!"

"I'm not a child, Momo. I don't have to ask you for permission. I outrank you so you better watch what you say."

"What happened to the boy that I grew up with?" Momo was crying now. Tōshirō hated it when she cried.

Tōshirō sighed and looked off into the distance "It's not like I wanted to become a soul reaper. I didn't have a choice."

Momo wiped the tears out of her eyes "What do you mean?"

Tōshirō ran a hand through his hair "I didn't tell you this but for the longest time, even before you left for the academy, I had been having dreams about an ice dragon calling me and asking me if I was worthy."

"Your Zanpakutō?" Tōshirō nodded.

"I didn't realize it was the spirit of my Zanpakutō until I met Lieutenant Matsumoto. She tracked me down and told me to become a Soul Reaper because I was slowly killing Granny. I asked Granny for her permission and do you know what she said to me?" Momo shook her said. "She said 'Tōshirō, I always knew that you were meant for greater things than being stuck here in this place. Go live your life the way that you want. I'll support you."

"Oh, Shirō," Momo said with tears in her eyes.

"Next thing I knew, I was at the Shin'ō Academy and was being labeled as a genius. Soon after, I learned that my Zanpakutō's name is Hyōrinmaru and mastered Shikai. I graduated a year later and Captain Shiba made me his 3rd seat."

"Wow, Shirō. It seems like you been through a lot. Who would have guess that little Shirō would one day become a Soul Reaper and outrank me," Momo laughed weakly, unsure how to take all of the information that she was given.

"It's Hitsugaya and I am not little!" Tōshirō was getting really tired of having to repeat himself. "And you better get used to it because I plan to go even higher."

Momo was confused "What do you mean? Do you plan to be a Lieutenant?"

Tōshirō shook his head "No, I plan to go higher than that."

Momo was really confused now "But Shirō the only thing that's higher than a Lieutenant is a-," Momo gasped. "But Shirō, that's almost impossible! And besides you have to have a Bankai to become a Captain!"

Tōshirō realized that he couldn't waste anymore of his time talking to Momo. He needed to get back to his training while he still had free time and talking to Momo was not going to make him anymore stronger. He closed his eyes and walked past Momo. He paused and turned back to Momo so that he could tell her one last thing before leaving "I am already half way to Bankai." And with that Tōshirō left to go continue his Bankai training leaving Momo behind.


	2. Chapter 2

_"_ _Master, are you sure you wish to leave her? You two have spent many years together,"_ Hyōrinmaru said as Tōshirō walked through the forest to their training spot.

"I am sure, Hyōrinmaru. Momo will only get in my way if I continue to be involve with her. If I am going to become a Captain, then I must not see her until then. She and I will not interact until that time comes," Tōshirō stated as he came upon the place where the two train together.

The place was an open field in the middle of the forest. There were many trees around the field, making it secluded and very hard to find by those who didn't know where it was. There was also a stream that wrapped around the edge of the field and there was blue, pink, and yellow flowers that littered the ground. It was a beautiful place and it was the perfect place for a certain 3rd seat Soul Reaper to train to use his Bankai.

 _"_ _What will you do if you don't become a Captain? Will you never see her again?"_

"Are you telling me that you are too weak to become a Captain's Zanpakutō, Hyōrinmaru?" the white hair Soul Reaper asked.

 _"_ _No way!"_

"I didn't think so. Now let's spend less time worrying about Momo and more on achieving Bankai. Are you ready, Hyōrinmaru?"

 _"_ _Do it!"_

"Reign over the frosted heavens, Hyōrinmaru!"

 **:)**

"And then he just left me there, standing like an idiot in front of the gate of Squad 10. Can you guys believe that?" Momo, Renji, and Izuru met up at a bar later that night after Momo met up with Tōshirō. Momo was currently on her second round of sake and wasn't planning on stopping anytime soon.

"Ah, Momo. Maybe you take it easy. I mean, you do have to report to your Captain in the morning," a concerned Izuru said as he sipped on his drink.

"Shut up Izuru. I'll be fine. I'm not as weak as you when it comes to drinking," despite her big talk, the sake was already affecting her.

Renji slammed his hand on the table, irritated "There is no way in hell that the brat is halfway to Bankai. It takes 10 years to master it. The ink on his graduation certificate has barely dried. I'm calling bullshit."

"I am just telling you what he told me. Shirō is not one to lie. If he says that he is close to achieving Bankai, than he is close to achieving Bankai," defended Momo. She didn't like anyone insulting Shirō, not even her close friends.

"Calm down, Momo. Renji is not saying that he doesn't believe that he trying to achieve Bankai. He is saying it is impossible for him to master Bankai at his age and given the time that he has been a soul reaper," explained Izuru calmly. "He could be trying master Bankai but he might not be able to complete it, not until he becomes older."

"Whatever. I don't even know why I am defending him. It's not like he cares about me anymore," cries Momo "He doesn't want to be around me anymore. Shirō is a big, big meany!" Momo kept getting louder and louder. At this point, the people around them were starting to look at the three soul reapers. Renji and Izuru were not the best at comforting their friend with the Renji who loves to fight and Izuru who looks like he has his own personal rain cloud is following him.

After a few minute of crying, Momo proceeded to pass out. Momo was not known to have a high alcohol tolerance. "Hey Izuru," Renji whispered, not wanting to wake Momo up "What do you say about me and you finding boy genius and kick his ass for hurting Momo? I know that he is a 3rd seat but me and you gaining up on him, it should be fine."

Izuru shook his head "That won't work. You felt his spiritual power. I have no doubt that when he becomes older, he will become a captain. We wouldn't stand a chance against him now. Even if we did up winning against 3rd seat Hitsugaya, Momo would be hurt more and angry at us for trying to hurt her childhood friend, even if he is being a jerk to her."

Renji sighed "You're probably right."

"Also isn't a rule in squad 11 to only have one-on-one fights because any more than that is seen as coward fight or something like that?" Izuru smirked when he saw that Renji froze at the mention of his squad's rules of fighting.

After a moment, Renji chuckled weakly "You got me." Renji sighed once more "It's not like squad 11 is the place that I want to be. There is another squad that I desire to be a part of that has a certain someone that I need to defeat and to defeat that person I need to become stronger. Squad 11 is the best place to make that happen," Izuru nodded in agreement. He and Momo both knew that Renji wants to defeat Byakuya Kuchiki, the Captain of Squad 6. Momo and him always thought that Renji was in love with Captain Kuchiki's little sister Rukia. Renji, however, refuses to admit it.

"We should probably take Momo back to the Squad 5 barracks," Said Izuru after a moment of silence. Renji nodded his head, he went to pick Momo up into his arms, and proceeded to carry her out of the bar with Izuru following behind.

Later that night, when Momo was nice and warm in her bed, she started to dream about a time when she and Tōshirō were still kids, a time when he was still kind to her.

 _The air was starting to become colder and the citizens were excepting snow any day now. "Achoo," sneezed a young Momo as she and Tōshirō were walking back to Granny's house. "I hate the cold. I wish it were warm all year long! That way we can play outside as long as we want!"_

 _"_ _I like the cold," stated Tōshirō "Especially the snow." Even at a young age, Tōshirō was still a boy of few words. When they played together, it was Momo's job to do the talking._ _Tōshirō only really spoke when he had something important to say or if his was with his Granny._

 _Momo stopped walking and looked to Tōshirō like he had lost his mind "What are you talking about, Shirō? When it is cold, we can't play outside for very long."_

 _"_ _There are plenty of things to play inside Momo. You just have to find the things that make you happy," Tōshirō explained._

 _"_ _I_ like _to play outside._ That's _what makes me happy," grumbled Momo. "What do you like to do, Shirō?"_

 _Tōshirō smiled up at the cloudy sky and said thoughtfully "I like to spend time looking out the window and watch the snow fall."_

 _"_ _That's so_ boring _, Shirō!" exclaimed Momo "You need to get out more."_

 _Tōshirō chuckled at Momo and shook his head. Tōshirō started to walk again with Momo following close behind. After a while of walking, Momo spoke again, "Shirō, when I go up, I want to be a Soul Reaper. So, you need to become a Soul Reaper too, so that we can be together forever."_

 _"_ _I am not going to be a Soul Reaper, Momo," Momo gasped. Momo could not believe what she just heard. Momo had their whole future planned out and Shirō was going to ruined it._

 _"_ _Shirō, you have to be a Soul Reaper with me. I have it all planned. First, I am going to get into_ _Shin'ō Academy and then a couple of years later you are going to come too so you have to make sure that you keep up with your studies. Then once we both have graduated, we are going to be in the same squad. After later on, I will be a captain and you will be my lieutenant. It is the perfect plan!"_

 _"_ _As great as that plan sounds Momo, I have a different plan for my future than to be your lieutenant."_

 _"_ _Oh yeah! And just what would that be?" said Momo, thinking that no matter his plan was, hers would be far more better._

 _"_ _I plan on taking care of Granny."_

 _"_ _For the rest of your life!?" Momo gasped, Tōshirō nodded "If you do that Shirō, than we can't be together forever. I can't do it without you. You are a lot braver, stronger, and smarter than I am. I am not strong enough to be alone," Momo started to cry._

 _Tōshirō put a hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes in an effort to calm her down. He did this many times throughout their young life and it always works. This time was different. It was different because_ _Tōshirō's eye were so memorizing, making it almost impossible to think of anything else. They were both silent and just looked at each other. It was then that Tōshirō said the words that Momo would never forget for the rest of her life, "Momo, if ever there is a tomorrow when we're not together, there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is even if we are apart, I'll always be with you."_

Momo shot up in her bed haven woke from her dream. It had been many, many years since she had that dream. There had been many changes to their plans since then. She had gave up her dream to become a captain when she met Captain Aizen for the first time. She now settled on becoming his lieutenant. Tōshirō left his grandmother and dreams about becoming a captain. However, even though she had forgotten her dreams, Tōshirō words from that time rang true in her heart and she knows for a fact she will never forget them, in this life or in the next.


	3. Chapter 3

***Nine years have passed since Tōshirō and Momo have reunited as Soul Reapers. However, that means nothing because Momo can count on one hand how many times that her and Tōshirō have met up since then. One hundred percent of those times have been because they had been forced to work together and those times did not allow much time to talk each other being that Tōshirō was one of the commanders of the missions. During the nine years, many things had changed. The first thing was Momo, Renji, and Izuru had been promoted to higher seats. Momo was now a 3rd seat, like Tōshirō, for squad 5. Izuru left squad 4 to became the 3rd seat of squad 3 and Renji moved to the 4th seat to squad 11. Momo hopes that now that her and Tōshirō are now the same ranking, they would be able to interact a lot more now.

The next that had change would be Tōshirō. While he was still a 3rd to squad 10, he was a lot more powerful than according to what little time she had witness during their missions to the World of the Living. True to his word, Tōshirō mastered Bankai three years later after declaring to her that he was learning Bankai. Not that he told her he achieved it. In fact, she would not have known if it wasn't for the fact that she saw him activate it during one of the mission they were on together. It took her a long time to convince Renji that Tōshirō truly had a Bankai. When asked to describe Tōshirō's Bankai, Momo could not help but say that it was the most beautiful thing that she had ever saw.

Momo, Renji, and Izuru were at their favorite bar when Renji asked the question that was on the mind of every Soul Reaper in the Gotei 13, "Who do you think the new captain of Squad 10 going to be?" Captain Shiba, the previous captain of Squad 10, disappeared about six months ago. It seems that no one knows what happened to him, not even his own squad. All that anyone seems to know is that he went to the World of the Living and had never returned. After about five months of no word, the Head Captain Yamamoto declared that Captain Shiba was not going to return and that Squad 10 needed a new captain and has been on the hunt for one ever since.

"I haven't really thought about it," Momo said in regards to Renji's question.

"How could you not thought about it? It is on everyone's mind," Renji stated in disbelief at Momo indifference.

Momo shrugged her shoulders "It's not on mine. I have been only really thinking about my own squad. I don't have time to think of another squad."

Renji and Izuru laughed "Now we know that that is not true. We know of a grumpy white haired boy that belongs to that squad is on your mind since the moment you saw him again," Izuru stated.

Momo shrugged again "Maybe that's true but it not like I can talk to Shirō about his captain. Every time I try to talk to him, he acts as if I am in the way and keeps our talks short. Besides, I thought that Lieutenant Matsumoto would be the next captain. She is the next in command."

Izuru shook his head "No it is not going to be Matsumoto. One of the requirements to be a captain is to have a Bankai and she doesn't have one."

"Besides, she is too lazy to be a captain," imputed Renji. Momo and Izuru nodded in agreement.

Izuru sighed "And it is not like we can guess who it's going to be anyway. After all, beside the captains, people don't usually go around announcing that they have achieved Bankai. We only find out by seeing them use it in the field."

Renji sighed too and took a drink of his drink "I guess we will just have to wait and see when they announce it."

Momo also takes a drink of her sake before saying "I don't know who is going to be the new captain. But one thing is for sure is that he or she is going to be strong."

 ** _Meanwhile During a Meeting between Captains_**

"I announce that 3rd seat Tōshirō Hitsugaya of Squad 10 will be taking the Captain Proficiency Test," stated Head Captain Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto to the twelve captains that attended. All the captain, while some did not show it, were surprise.

"What?" Captain Jūshirō Ukitake of Squad 13 exclaimed "Head Captain, you do realize that Tōshirō Hitsugaya is a child, correct?"

"I do" said Yamamoto.

"With all due respect, Tōshirō doesn't belong in the Gotei 13 let alone a captain until he is older," several of the other captains nodded in agreement.

"Yes, yes I agree," Captain Gin Ichimaru of Squad 3 said. All the other captains looked at Ichimaru with disbelief. They couldn't believe that he was agreeing with Captain Ukitake about someone being too young being someone who was also became a soul reaper when he was young and called a genius.

"You do?" asked Ukitake, also surprised.

"Yes I completely agree with you, Captain Ukitake. I can't have someone who is labeled the greatest mind since me become a captain younger than I did. People will think that he is smarter than I am. Wait until he is as old as I am," spoke Ichimaru. Everyone shook their head at him in disbelief. They couldn't believe that they actually thought that he cared about a child.

"Is he strong?" Asked Captain Suì-Fēng. She did not care about his age only about his ability to lead one of the squads.

"Yes, he is strong enough to be a captain. His test will prove it even more so. Now what is everyone else's opinion?" Yamamoto spoke.

Captain Retsu Unohana of Squad 4, while agreed with Captain Ukitake, she felt that Tōshirō Hitsugaya would make a great captain.

Captain Sōsuke Aizen of Squad 5 also agreed that he would make a great captain and that he was strong, having learnt that from Momo.

Captain Byakuya Kuchiki of Squad 6 agreed as well, as long as he had the ability to lead and was strong enough.

Captain Sajin Komamura of Squad 7, at first did not know whom to agree with because he too thought that Hitsugaya was too young to be a captain but decided to respect the Head Captain decision.

Captain Shunsui Kyōraku agreed with his friend, being that he hated fighting and did not want to see a child fight as much as Captain Ukitake.

Captain Kaname Tōsen of Squad 9 also agreed with Captain Ukitake. He did not think that justice would be serve by someone as young as he was.

Captain Kenpachi Zaraki of Squad 11 didn't care. Just that he was strong enough to have a good fight with.

Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi also didn't care, he just wanted to get back to his experiments.

"Seeing as most of the captains agree, Tōshirō Hitsugaya shall be given the Captain Proficiency Test and if he passes than he shall be the Captain of Squad 10. That is final! Captain Kuchiki please inform 3rd seat Tōshirō Hitsugaya." Byakuya nodded in agreement "This meeting is now over," announce Head Captain Yamamoto, banging his staff on the ground. Ukitake sighed in defeat, Shunsui came over to him and put his hand on his shoulder in order to comfort him.

 ** _Captain's Office of Squad 10_**

"How is it that I, a 3rd seat, is doing the captain's and the lieutenant's paperwork while the Lieutenant, who is supposed to do it, is sitting on her lazy butt?" asked Tōshirō who was starting to get very irritated with his ranking officer.

Tōshirō entered the captain/lieutenant office only to find Matsumoto looking at the latest fashion magazine. At his words, Matsumoto looked up "I'm sorry. Did you say something?"

Tōshirō sighed and walked over to the captain's desk and placed the completed paperwork on it so that it would be ready to be sent out "It is a wonder that anything was completed before I came along. If I didn't know any better, I say that the only reason you wanted me to become a Soul Reaper was so that you wouldn't have to do any paperwork."

"I don't have a clue what you are talking about," as she flipped to the next page.

"I'm sure you don't," Tōshirō shook his head in disbelief "I swear that Captain Shiba and you are too damn alike to be a coincidence."

"Come on you know that you are better at that stuff than I am. And besides, you are too strong to be taken advantage of, Mr. Genius," Matsumoto laughed.

"Yet here I am, doing _your_ paperwork," There was a knock at the door, interrupting the conversation.

"Come in," announced Matsumoto.

The door opened and there with a soul reaper from Squad 10, stood the captain of Squad 6 Byakuya Kuchiki. "Lieutenant Matsumoto and 3rd seat Hitsugaya, Captain Kuchiki of Squad 6 is here to speak with you," the Soul Reaper said.

"Thank you. You are dismissed. Return to you post," Matsumoto dismissed the soul reaper. The Soul Reaper bowed and left the room, leaving only Matsumoto, Byakuya, and Tōshirō alone. "Please sit, Captain Kuchiki," Matsumoto motion to the couch.

"Would you like some tea, Captain?" asked Tōshirō in a respectful tone.

"No," stated Byakuya "I will not be here long. I am only here to delivery this." Byakuya pulled out a letter and place it on the table "As you are aware, you are the only squad that does not have a captain. Head Captain Yamamoto has decided that 3rd seat Tōshirō Hitsugaya is eligible to take the Captain Proficiency Test. If passed than Tōshirō Hitsugaya will become the captain of Squad 10." Byakuya was met with silence from both of the soul reapers that was sitting across from him. Deciding that his job was done, he got up from where was sitting and walking to the door "You are to report to Squad 1 tomorrow morning. That will give you 24 hours to prepare" And with that, the captain left just as fast as he came.

After a moment, Tōshirō picked up the letter that Byakuya placed there. He quickly read over the contents of the letter. The letter was what Byakuya had said, only in greater detail. "Squad 10 is going to get a new captain," said Matsumoto is a dazed voice. She shook her head and then turned to Tōshirō and said in a serious tone "3rd seat Hitsugaya, you are dismissed from your duties so that you may prepare from the test." Matsumoto bowed to Hitsugaya "I wish you luck."

Tōshirō nodded his head unsure of what to think at that moment "Thank you, Lieutenant Matsumoto."

 ** _24 Hours Later_**

Tōshirō Hitsugaya was heading to the examination room that was located in Squad 1. Waiting for him were the captains that were going to see if he had what it take to join their ranks and become a captain. While he knew that there was going to be a written part, he didn't really study for it. Not to sound overconfidence but Tōshirō felt that he didn't really need to study. He was a genius after all and he only had 24 hours. It was hard to learn something in that short amount of time and learn something new. Also, if he couldn't pass a simple written test than he had no business of being a captain. Instead, he spent most of his time talking and becoming more connected with his Zanpakutō, Hyōrinmaru. As he was walking, Tōshirō thought back his and Hyōrinmaru conversation.

 _"_ _So you have a chance to become a squad captain?" Asked Hyōrinmaru. Tōshirō was in his inter world and he just finished explaining what had transpired that day._

 _"_ _Yes, if I pass the test that the other captains have decided on."_

 _Hyōrinmaru roared with excitement "Then you just have to pass then."_

 _Tōshirō paused for a moment before continuing "One of the parts that I will be graded on is how compatible that you and I are when we fight. That is one of the thing that people struggle with the most, you know. We must become one."_

 _Hyōrinmaru bowed his head "I am yours, Master. I will do what your will. As your Zanpakutō, consider me a tool that will slay anything in your path."_

 _Tōshirō smiled and placed his hand on the dragon's nose, almost as if to pet him "Yes, you are my Zanpakutō and I am your Master. But you and I are also friends. You have been with me, even before I knew of you and you will continue to be with me. Please continue to take care of me." The dragon roared with an agreement._

Tōshirō arrived at the Squad One's examination room, where a soul reaper, who was a Lieutenant of Squad One, was waiting. "Tōshirō Hitsugaya, 3rd seat of Squad Ten, inside of this room, the captains of different squads is waiting for you to determine if you are suitable to be a captain. I wish you good luck." Tōshirō nodded his head to the soul reaper in thanks. The soul reaper opened the door and Tōshirō walked inside, where his destiny is waiting for him.


	4. Last Chapter

**Here is the last chapter! I thought this was only going to be a 3 chapter story but I decided to do 4. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed this story! :)**

***Once Tōshirō walked through the door, he saw Captain's Yamamoto, Kuchiki, and Shunsui waiting for him. "3rd seat Tōshirō Hitsugaya, we will now begin the examination process. Please take your seat," commanded Head Captain Yamamoto. Tōshirō bowed to the captains and took his place in front of the three captains.

The written part of the examination took every bit of five hours to complete with no breaks. The written part was no laughing matter. With the written part, a soul reaper must answer every question correctly or they fail. On the exam, Tōshirō was asked different questions regarding the history of the Soul Society, different types of Hallows and their abilities, different battle formations, and there were even questions about paperwork. Even though the test was extremely difficult, it was relatively easy for Tōshirō. After all, he was a genus.

Time was up and his exam was graded. Once the grading process was completed, the Head Captain spoke "Congratulation! Tōshirō Hitsugaya. You have passed the first part of the examination." Tōshirō bowed to the captains. "We will now begin the final part. Please follow us to the garden."

When the Head Captain said garden, he really meant a huge field of grass and flowers as far as the eyes could see. Once the party of four step out onto the grass, Yamamoto turns to Tōshirō and commanded "Please activate your Bankai and show us your connection with your Zanpakutō."

Tōshirō walked farther away from the captains and called out "Bankai!"

In that moment, what was once a huge field of flowers, became to field of ice and snow. Tōshirō had truly became one with Hyōrinmaru. He gained not just Hyōrinmaru abilities but his wings, feet, claws, and tail. The captains were all impressed with the form of Tōshirō's bankai but they noticed that there was something that came with the bankai.

"What are three flowers of ice floating behind you? Asked Captain Kuchiki.

"Unfortunately, my bankai is not fully complete," Tōshirō began to explain "because of my age but do not misunderstand, my bankai power level is more than enough for a captain."

"You have a bankai that is that powerful yet it is not fully completed, just how powerful is your Zanpakutō?" Captain Shunsui asked. They could all feel the power that was surrounding them.

Tōshirō only smirked at the question. Instead of answering, pillars of ice came up from the ground that went high, so high that it would be no surprise that the whole Seireitei could see them.

"I have seen enough," Head Captain Yamamoto suddenly spoke "I think that we can all agree that 3rd seat Tōshirō Hitsugaya will become the captain of squad 10."

* * *

Momo was walking towards the captain's office to give her report to her captain on the recent hollow attacks in the World of the Living. As she walked, she couldn't help to start thinking of Tōshirō and what he could possibly be doing. She couldn't help it. Ever since he has been back in her life, she can't help but think that she needed to take care of him just like when they were still kids.

 _"_ _But no,"_ Momo stopped in her tracks _"He doesn't need me anymore. After all, he has a Bankai now. He can take care of himself. He won't even talk to me."_ Momo shook her head, clearing away the depressing thoughts that entered her head.

"Hey! Did you hear that a captain of Squad 10 has been chosen?"

"Did you think I have been living under a rock all day? Of course I have! It's all everyone is talking about."

"I can't believe that they chose 3rd seat Tōshirō Hitsugaya. He is so young!" As soon as she heard Tōshirō's name, Momo paid attention to the conversation.

"I can believe it! He is one badass soul reaper! Hell, I can even believe that he can take on Captain Aizen on in a fight."

"Have you seen his Bankai? It's like he turns himself into a dragon!"

"That's so cool! And people are saying that he was the one to cause those large pillars of ice that came from squad 1 headquarters. It took them hours to get them to melt," and with that Momo could no longer hear the two soul reapers talk anymore.

 _Tōshirō is the Captain of Squad 10?_ Momo hurried to the captain's office to ask her captain if Tōshirō really had become a captain. _Why do I always hear big news like this from other Soul Reapers?_ She thought think back when she heard that Squad 10 had a new 3rd seat.

Once she arrived, she knocked on the door and waited for the call that she was allowed in. She opened the door and saw her captain doing paperwork. Captain Aizen looked up when he heard the door close. "Ah Momo! Welcome back! I trust that your mission was a success."

Momo, remembering her reason for coming to see her captain in the first place, stuttered "O-oh y-yes. Here is the report on the latest Hollow attack." Momo handed the report to her captain and took a step back.

"Thank you, Momo. You are free to go now," stated Aizen as he places the report with the rest of the pile of paperwork. Momo hesitated for a moment. Long enough for Aizen to notice "Is there something else, Momo?"

Momo hesitated again "Is it true that 3rd seat Tōshirō Hitsugaya is the new Captain of Squad Ten?"

Aizen blinked, wondering why she was asking that kind of thing "Yes he is. He completed the examination yesterday morning. Why do you ask?" and then the answer dawn on him. "Oh you and Captain Hitsugaya were childhood friends, if I recall correctly."

"Yes sir. I spent a lot of time with him and his family when I was younger."

Aizen smiled "then please, the next time that you see him. Please tell him I said congratulations." Momo bowed to her captain and left the room. "This could turn out to be quite interesting," Said Aizen to himself with an evil smile to his face.

* * *

"Welcome to Squad 10, Captain Hitsugaya!" All the squad members shouted and bowed to Tōshirō as he addressed all the soul reapers that were in the squad. They were now his responsibility.

"Thank you. I look forward to working with you," said Tōshirō. Tōshirō was now the captain of Squad 10. Even though Tōshirō had served with these people ever since he graduated from the Academy, they still had to knowledge him as the new captain. It was important that everyone welcome him as if he had never been a part of Squad Ten.

Tōshirō had finally accomplished what he had set out to do ever since he decided to become a soul reaper. "You are certainly getting a big head, _Captain_ Hitsugaya." Matsumoto stood next to him with her hands on her hips with a big smile on her face. Beside Tōshirō, Matsumoto was probably the happiest out of everyone that Tōshirō was the new captain. Not only because Squad Ten had not had a captain after so long but because Matsumoto was the one that discovered Tōshirō in the first place. Her ego was pretty big right now.

Tōshirō sighed "My head is the same size as it always is, Lieutenant. Yours as certainly grown a few sizes. Though, I guess that I owe you my thanks."

Matsumoto was confused "What do you have to thank me for?"

"If you hadn't found me that day so many years ago, I wouldn't be who I am today. I would probably have killed my grandmother and then I would depressed and alone. So thank you for finding me and convincing me to be a Soul Reaper. I hope that you will continue to support me as you always have." Tōshirō bowed deeply to show his gratitude and how much he meant what he was saying.

Matsumoto was touched. Tōshirō had never spoken to her that way before nor had anyone else for that matter. "Oh Captain! I promise to serve you and only you!" She grabbed hold of Tōshirō and pulled him into the biggest hug that she could muster. She hugged him so hard that Tōshirō thought he was going to die.

* * *

 _"_ _Alright Momo, you can do it!"_ Momo said to herself. _"It is just Shirō, who you have known since you were kids. It does not matter that he is now a Captain and acts like he has never met you before. Just go in there and tell him congratulations and that you think that he will make a great captain!"_ Momo was standing at the entryway of Squad 10, trying to gain the courage to go and actually have a decent conversation for the first time in nine years.

"Alright! Let's do this!" Momo shouted with confidence. Momo walked through the gate and stopped. She felt a slight chill in the air despite it being the middle of spring. _"Ah,"_ she thought _"This must be Shirō's spiritual pressure that I am feeling. He truly is a Captain"_

As Momo was standing in front of the gate, still in a daze at the fact she could feel Tōshirō's spiritual pressure from just walking through front gate, someone took notice of her. "Hey there!" Momo snapped to attention, "Are you here to give your greeting to the Captain?" In front of her stood the most beautiful soul reaper that she had ever seen. This must be Lieutenant Matsumoto. "Oh wait! I know you. You are Momo Hinamori of Squad 5. Are you not?"

"Um, yes. I am," stammered Momo, unsure of what to say to the beautiful higher-ranking officer.

Matsumoto smiled "Follow me. I will take you to see the Captain. He is currently in his office." Momo nodded and proceeded to follow. As they walked, she could slowly feel the air getting cooler and cooler as they got closer to captain's office. "Sorry about the coldness in the air."

"What do you mean?" asked Momo.

Matsumoto laughed "We Squad 10 is used to the cold from the Captain's spiritual pressure. We forget that when other soul reapers come, they feel cold.

"Shirō, I mean Captain Hitsugaya, is very strong," Momo stated.

Matsumoto laughed again "You got that right! He was born to be one of the greatest captains there ever was."

"You two seem close," Momo, feeling a little jealous over how close that the two were. She had always thought that no one would be as close as her and Shirō.

"Yes we are close. We are not your topical captain and lieutenant. We are professional when it comes to work and meetings but when we are alone, it feels like we are in an older sister/younger brother relationship." Matsumoto smiled at the thought of Tōshirō being her little brother. "We got even closer when Captain Shiba went missing. We shared our pain with each other because we how each other felt about the former captain. I don't know what I would have done without Captain Hitsugaya being by my side."

Momo was starting to feel guilty because of the jealousy she felt "Forgive me. I didn't mean to make you speak of a sad topic."

Matsumoto smile at her "It's alright, I don't mind at all. It helps to speak about the former captain every once in a while." They came to a stop in front of a large door. "Here we are," stated Matsumoto. She knocked on the door "Captain? Momo Hinamori of Squad 5 is here to great you."

"You may enter," stated a cold voice. Matsumoto smile at Momo one last time before motioning for Momo to enter the room. As soon as she stepped through the door, she saw Tōshirō sitting behind a large brown desk focused solely on the papers in front of him. He did not look up until Matsumoto shut the door, leaving the two alone.

They were silent for a moment until Momo remembered her manners in front of a captain "Congratulations in your promotion, Captain Hitsugaya," Momo gave a deep bow in respect. Tōshirō had gotten up from his seat and walked over to stand in front Momo. Momo, still in a bow, did not meet his eyes.

Tōshirō sighed and realized how uncomfortable she was feeling "Thank you, Momo." Momo didn't respond so he decided to make their conversation more comfortable "It seems that it was I who became a Captain."

At Tōshirō's words, Momo froze. She could remember that conversation when she declared that she would become the Captain. She finally met his eye and saw the kindness in his eyes that she has not seen since he was still living with his grandmother. Momo spoke "I am surprised that you remembered."

"Of course I remembered. How could I forget the smugness in your voice when you said that _I_ would become _your_ lieutenant." Tōshirō shook his head at the thought, "Like I would ever be your second in command."

"And just what's so wrong with being my second in command?" Momo should not have asked that as it gave Tōshirō an open invitation is list her every fault.

"Well for one, you are too starstruck. You clearly worship the ground that Captain Aizen walks on and that is unprofessional." At Tōshirō's words, Momo remember the words that Renji spoke of when Tōshirō first became a 3rd seat so many years ago _"Well it's no wonder that you haven't heard anything about it. After all, you do spend most of your time kissing Captain Aizen's ass_."

Tōshirō kept going on and on, listing every fault that he had observed in their interactions over the years, which surprised Momo because she thought that he had always ignored her, he never payed any attention to her. Momo smiled "Wow, Shirō, you have really payed attention to me. That makes me happy!"

"It's Captain Hitsugaya!" Tōshirō was confused "And how does me finding faults in you make you make you happy?"

Momo took his hands and held them "Because even though you have been so cold to me, you have been watching over me and that makes me happy."

Tōshirō looked away "Don't you remember what I told you?"

"If ever there is a tomorrow when we're not together, there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is even if we are apart, I'll always be with you." Momo smiled "Those words have never left me."

Tōshirō nodded "I have always been with you and I will continue to be with you, Momo."

Tōshirō and Momo continued to talk about the different topic of their lives, though granted, Tōshirō knew most of the things Momo that she mentioned. When Momo realized that she overstayed her welcome, she decided that she needed to get back to work. As she was leaving, she told Tōshirō "Thank you for talking to me again. This has been the happiest I have been in a long time. Please continue to take care of me." Momo bowed one last time and left the room.

 _"_ _It was nice to be able to talk with Momo again,"_ Tōshirō thought as he went back went back to his desk. Now that he has reached his dream, he will take care of the people around him. Now no one will be able to hurt the people he loved, that he swore to himself. And if they did they would be getting an icy grave.

Time passed as it always did. There were times that Momo tried to talk to Tōshirō and he ingored her but it did not bother her as much as it did in the past because she now knew that Tōshirō was watching over her. However, there came a problem that no one saw coming. That mistake caused Momo to be seriously injured and Tōshirō realized just how weak he still was. He once again strived to become stronger.


End file.
